Trigger
by winguardiumleviohsnap
Summary: The animosity between the two brightest sixth years at Hogwarts has never been higher. But when circumstance unites them, it may trigger the best partnership in history.
1. Prologue

**Author's note: Hi friends! It seems you have found my story! This is going to be all about the next generation of Harry Potter, with special emphasis on my favorite ship. I tried to make it as canonly accurate as possible, but as some information was missing I had to make up some stuff, so I hope you like it! This is just the prologue; the rest of the story will follow just the events at Hogwarts. Enjoy!**

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"Bye Mum! Bye Dad!"

Rose Weasley hugged her parents before dashing across the platform to hop on the already moving train.

"Don't forget to write!" Hermione called as she returned her daughter's frantic wave. "Sixth year already," she mused to Ron, who was not paying attention to the departing train at all. Instead, his gaze was transfixed on the pale body of Draco Malfoy, who was waving to Scorpius on the other side of the platform. Hermione nudged her husband.

"Ron! Did you hear what I said?" asked Hermione, annoyed.

"Sorry Hermione, my brother is too busy making googly eyes at Malfoy to notice his wife right now," Ginny said helpfully. The tips of Rons ears turned red as he tore his eyes away and confronted Ginny.

"I wasn't– I mean who do you think you–" he stuttered.

"Save it," interrupted Ginny. "I don't really care about your new crush. Just keep it to yourself, alright?"

Ron showed every sign of making a nasty retort when Hermione jumped back in.

"Thanks Ginny. As I was saying, don't you think it's sad that Rose is in sixth year already? Soon she'll be moving out, and getting a job, and then Hugo will follow soon after," said Hermione sadly.

"I know what you mean," said Harry. "This is James' last year and I don't know what'll happen next year. I know he wanted to become an Auror like me, but if he doesn't get enough N.E.W.T.'s... I'm worried he won't have a back-up plan."

"I know what his back-up plan is," said Ginny. "Come back home and sap the Galleons from our vault until we're living on the streets"

"Harry Potter: The Boy Who Lived in a box" said Ron, laughing. " _The_ _Prophet_ will have a field day."

Hermione tried to hide her smile but in the end she relented.

"You're hilarious. But seriously. Rose told me she fancies being a Healer after Hogwarts. That's a very difficult profession to get into. I only hope she gets the necessary grades," finished Hermione, worriedly.

"You've got to be kidding," replied Harry in disbelief. "Last year she received outstanding on all her O.W.L.'s, and got top of her class in all her subjects except Defense Against the Dark Arts, and even then Scorpius Malfoy only beat her by a bit."

"Figures," said Ron darkly.

"Oh Ron, don't start that again," said Ginny, obviously annoyed. "The Malfoy's are a changed family, why can't you understand that? Besides, high marks don't really seem like the result of years of secret dark magic training."

"Who knows? Maybe he jinxed the examiner," replied Ron stubbornly. "Slytherins never change."

Ginny sighed exasperatedly and dropped her arms in defeat, tired of arguing with her brother. Everyone was silent for a moment, basking in the cool September air. As the train disappeared around the corner, the crowd on platform nine and three quarters thinned considerably, until only the Potters and the Weasleys were left. When Draco and his wife passed them he nodded, which had become a habit over the years. Much to Ron's disapproval, Harry nodded back.

"Still stuck in first year I see," sighed Harry, noting Ron's scowl. "Don't worry, I'm sure Hermione will make you corned beef sandwiches for supper if you ask nicely."

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 **Author's note: I know this chapter was a bit short, but the only purpose of it was the set the scene and introduce a few characters. The next one will be longer, and more involved. I love getting reviews, because it means that you like it, or you have ideas to make it even better!**


	2. Familiar Places, Familiar Faces

**Author's note: This chapter is mostly to set the scene and actually get them to Hogwarts. I know it's a bit slow, but the next chapter will have a bit more action.**

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As Rose stepped onto the train, she immediately went to the prefect carriage to receive instructions from Alice Longbottom, the Head Girl. Albus was already there, chatting away with Owen Finnegan, the prefect from Ravenclaw.

"Hey Rose!" exclaimed Alice, as she walked in. "How was your summer?"

Rose smiled. "Not bad, considering I never got a moment to myself. Our whole house was always full with cousins, Aunts, and Uncles; the works."

At that point, Albus realized Rose had entered the carriage and jumped in.

"Oh tell me about it! My annoying cousin was always barging into my room unannounced. Who needs privacy anymore?" said Albus, in a mocking impression of Rose.

"Well it's not like you had anything interesting to hide," replied Rose defensively. She turned back to Alice. "I caught Al snooping at my O.W.L results when the letter came. You should have seen his face when he realized he was caught."

Albus turned red.

"Whatever. Your marks were fine anyway," said Albus. Rose shot him a look. Her marks were _more_ than fine.

"Alice can you give us our patrol route now? I'd rather not be here when the others show up."

"No problem," said Alice. She looked down at the parchment she was holding. "Rose I paired you with Albus, obviously, and if you wouldn't mind patrolling the last three carriages from time to time that would be great. Mostly make sure the first-years stay calm. I had a kid last year pass out on the floor from excitement." Rose and Albus laughed. "Also, the password for Gryffindor is _Dirigible Plum."_

"Thanks, Alice, see you later," said Rose cheerfully and they made their exit. Rose just opened the carriage door when she heard the door of the compartment reopen. She turned her head just in time to see a sliver of pale blond hair enter the compartment before the door slammed closed. _Just in time_ , she thought to herself.

"Shall we find a compartment, Al?"

They walked down to the end of the train and found an empty compartment. Albus slipped inside and Rose darted in after him. She considered herself lucky to have her cousin as her best friend. That way, she always had someone to sit with.

"So, how was your summer?" asked Rose, mock serious. Albus scoffed.

"I saw you two days ago. Nothing new happened, except that James almost broke Mum's antique firebolt from her Holyhead Harpies days, and she threatened to send him to Durmstrang," replied Albus.

"Aw, I wish I could have seen it," said Rose wistfully. "Tell me all the details."

Albus launched into an exciting story involving James, Arnold the Pygmy Puff, and an old bewitched Muggle baseball bat. Around half past twelve the plump witch with the food trolley came around. Rose and Albus bought enough sweets to make Honeydukes jealous.

"Aw man, I got Uncle Harry again," said Rose glumly, as she unwrapped another Chocolate Frog. She watched as her Uncle waved to her and then exited the frame.

"Pass one over, I'm still missing Longbottom," replied Albus. Rose tossed one and Albus unwrapped it. "Hmpf. Dumbledore again."

As Rose and Albus talked, ate sweets, and occasionally patrolled their assigned carriages, the sky outside gradually darkened. At the crest of the hills the sun created a stunning sunset and when it finally set, stars began to litter the sky. Outside their compartment screams of the first-years could be heard as they raced up and down the corridors, unable to contain their excitement.

"Quiet out there! I'm a prefect, so don't make me come out!" said Rose in a commanding voice, but it did little to subdue the noise. Eventually she gave up and slumped back in her seat.

"It's a perfect night for the first years to cross the lake," she remarked. "Remember our first year? It was raining so hard you nearly fell in and Hargrid almost steered the boats into the cliff!"

Albus shuddered at the memory.

"I still don't much fancy taking a swim with the giant squid. Remember how Malfoy practically kissed the ground when we landed? I'll never forget it." He jumped to the floor of the compartment and mimed kissing the carpet.

"Oh floor, I'll never leave you again," he said in a loving voice. Rose laughed.

"I recall you seemed to be pretty relieved to be back on dry ground as well. Anyway, do you reckon we're almost there? I'm starting to get hung–"

Rose was cut off when the first years in the corridor started yelling.

"The train is slowing down! We're here, we're here!"

The _thump thump_ of the horde could be heard as the first-years made a mad dash to the door, each wanting to be the first one on the platform.

"I guess we better get up as well," said Albus glumly. He stood up and yawned, stretching his arms as he did so. Rose followed Albus out of the compartment and into the crowd in the corridor, each anxious to get off the train. Eventually the ancient brakes screeched to a halt, and a great deal of pushing and shoving ensued. Rose received a sharp elbow to the back and whirled around.

"Watch it– oh hey, Hugo," she said. She realized then that Lily had been the one to push Hugo into her back.

"Hey. Do you guys fancy sharing a carriage? Beatrice McLaggen keeps hinting she wants to sit with me." Hugo shuddered.

The group finally made it to the door, where they hopped onto the platform. Lily picked up the story.

"It was hilarious. Hugo and I were sitting in our compartments with Roxanne and Lucy, right? Then here comes Beatrice out of the blue, without her friends, and she invites herself into our compartment. Then, for the entire trip she bombards Hugo with stupid questions, like what's your favourite Quidditch team? What kind of broom do you have? By the end she was practically drooling over you."

Hugo turned bright red and mumbled something along the lines of "shut _up_ , Lily."

That only fueled Lily even more.

"What's that Hugo? I can't hear–"

"Firs'-years this way!" called a familiar voice, interrupting Lily. Rose, Albus, Hugo and Lily all turned and saw the gigantic outline of Hagrid beckoning the now terrified first-years to the boats for the traditional trip across the lake. Even 24 years later, Hagrid was still working as gamekeeper, and teaching Care of Magical Creatures. The only thing that had changed about his appearance were the copious amounts of grey hairs now visible in his bushy beard.

"Hey Hagrid!" shouted Albus. Hagrid turned and waved.

"All righ' you four? How 'bout a spot o' tea this week?"

All they could do was nod their agreement as the throngs of students forced them towards the rough track that held the horseless carriages. Of course, they all knew the carriages were pulled by thestrals, but after the war stories told to them by Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the family, nobody fancied seeing one. The illusion of a horseless carriage was good enough.

As soon as they piled into the carriage it set off in the direction of Hogwarts. Rose remained silent for the rest of the journey, choosing to gaze out the window. She watched as the castle grew nearer and nearer, until finally the carriage swayed to a halt in front of the giant oak front doors. Rose, Albus, Lily and Hugo jumped down and strolled up the steps into the cavernous Entrance Hall. Without waiting around, they walked towards the double doors to the right and entered the Great Hall. It looked as marvelous as always. Thousands of candles floated above the four house tables, making the golden plates and goblets sparkle like the midday sun. The bewitched ceiling was sporting a velvety black sky, making it seem as if the heavens were looking down on them.

"Lily! Hugo!" A voice called. Roxanne was waving them over from her spot at the Gryffindor table.

"Well, see you later," said Lily, as she grabbed Hugo's hand and dragged him away.

"Shall we sit?" suggested Albus, and together they slid onto the bench at the opposite end of the table, closer to the staff table. Rose glanced up and took inventory of the teachers. Hagrid's seat was empty, as he was still steering the first-years across the lake. Professor Longbottom was present, however, and he gave Rose and Albus a friendly wave before resuming a conversion with Slughorn, who had also stuck around. Other teachers to return after the war included Flitwick and Madame Pomfrey. Beside Flitwick was Professor Patil. She was another fairly new Professor; she replaced Trewlaney five years ago in the position of Divination teacher. The other empty seat next to Patil was reserved for the Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher. After Harry defeated Voldemort, the jinx on the position had lifted. Their previous teacher retired the previous year, leaving an opening.

"Where do you reckon the new Defense teacher is?" asked Rose, turning to Albus.

"I dunno. Maybe he got lost."

"Or she," interjected Rose. Albus rolled his eyes.

"You sound just like Aunt Hermione," he told her. "I hope the Sorting starts soon. I'm starving."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the door of the Great Hall opened. In came Professor Macmillan leading the first-years to the front of the Hall. Squeals of delight and amazement echoed off the walls as the first-years looked around with awe. Macmillan placed the three-legged stool on the ground, followed by the Sorting Hat. It looked as patched and old as ever. For a moment there was silence and the hat broke into song. Applause rang throughout the Hall when it finished.

Unrolling a long scroll of parchment, Professor Macmillan turned to the first-years.

"When I call your name, come and sit on the stool and put the Hat on. The Hat will call out your house, and then you will sit at the assigned table."

"Aldridge, Brian!"

A short, slender boy walked up to the stool with amazing confidence. He put the Hat on and sat down.

" _Gryffindo_ r!" shouted the Hat. Smiling, the boy walked over and sat at the end of the table, near Rose and Albus.

"Welcome!" said Rose warmly to the boy. "Gryffindor's awesome. You're going to have so much fun."

The boy glared at her with apprehension; then his eyes fixed on Albus behind her and widened visibly.

"Bloody hell, you're related to Harry Potter! Duncan!" he called, as another first-year approached the table, having been sorted into Gryffindor. "Look! It's Harry Potter's son!"

"Woah," said the new boy, obviously dazed. Albus blushed. Both boys moved to the other side of the table so they were facing Albus and immediately bombarded him with questions about Harry. Rose hid a smile and turned back to the Sorting. Every year something like this happened; a child or two recognized Albus as the exact replica of his father when he was still at Hogwarts, and for the first few weeks Albus had a small fan club following him around. They usually lost interest once they realized that Albus was not going to slay a Basilisk or kill Voldemort in front of them.

"Berkely, Mia!"

" _Ravenclaw!_ "

"Carwin, Flora!"

" _Slytherin!_ "

While the animosity between houses had dissipated mostly after the war, Rose couldn't help but notice that many of the Gryffindors did not clap as poor Flora sat down at Slytherin table. A second year girl beside her said something to Flora, making her smile. _They're not all bad_ , thought Rose to herself as she watched the two girls laugh together.

"Dering, Finlay!"

" _Hufflepuff!_ "

As the Sorting continued, the numbers slowly dwindled, until only two students were left to be sorted.

"Weller, Leo!"

" _Slytherin!_ "

"Wickham, Maisie!"

" _Ravenclaw!_ "

As Maisie sat down at her table, Professor Macmillan picked up the stool and the Hat and carried them away. The Headmaster, Professor Applebee, got to his feet and smiled at the students. After the war, McGonagall had taken over Hogwarts as Headmistress for 18 years. She retired right before James' first year and was replaced by Applebee. He was a kind man, always a twinkle in his eyes, and Rose liked to imagine that was how Dumbledore used to be, back when her Mum was at Hogwarts.

"Welcome back to another wonderful year at Hogwarts! To new students; welcome! I have a few announcements that need to be made, but let them wait until the end of the feast. Enjoy!"

No sooner had he sat down than the empty dishes on the tables filled to the brim with delicious-looking food. Everyone filled their plates and the noise dimmed considerably as they began to shovel food in their mouths. Even Brian and Duncan took a break from interrogating Albus to stuff some steak in their mouths. Rose ate moderately, having learned her lesson first year when she ate so much she could hardly walk to Gryffindor Tower. She silently thanked the house-elves for the delicious food. When her Mum first started out at the Ministry she was immediately appointed head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where she fought hard to improve the lives of house-elves and other minority species. House-elves were now bound by law to take a one hour break every day, whether they liked it or not. Her Mum now worked in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

All too soon the food faded off the plates and everyone was feeling rather full and sleepy. Professor Applebee stood to his feet once again.

"Before I send you all off to your warm, waiting beds. I must ask for your attention as I give out a few announcements. As you well know, every item from Weasley Wizard Wheezes is banned from the school."

At this, he flicked his eyes to the Gryffindor table, where James was sitting with Fred and attempting to look as innocent as possible. However, his the corner of his mouth kept twitching, giving him away completely.

"You also know that the Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden, as well as Hogsmeade to students below third year. For those of you in second year or above who are interested in trying out for you house Quidditch team, please speak to the Quidditch Captain from your house. They all wear a badge that shouldn't be too hard to spot."

From the table, James puffed out his chest proudly, displaying a shiny new Quidditch Captain badge.

"It is also my great pleasure to announce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher; Professor Lupin!"

At his words, the doors of the Great Hall opened, and in came a young man with bright turquoise hair. Rose gasped audibly; she was barely aware of Albus knocking over his goblet of pumpkin juice as he snapped his head around, or James' whoop of excitement. In walked Teddy Lupin, looking very neat in his black robes and carrying a small battered case. On one corner Rose could just make out the faded initials R. J. Lupin. _Teddy Lupin teaching here?_ thought Rose, both excited and nervous at the same time. While Teddy came around almost every week for supper, she'd received no hint that he would be joining them this year. Teddy gave a shy wave to the students and took the empty seat beside _.

"Now! It is late and I am sure you all want to be up early to start classes tomorrow."

A collective groan arose from the crowd.

"Off to bed!"

The students rose slowly to their feet, and the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the Hall. Rose and Albus got up quickly and went to the doors.

"First-years this way!" she called. "This way please!"

The group of new students walked up and formed a small crowd. Brian and Duncan were at the front, each trying their best to stand next to Albus. Rose lead the way into the Entrance Hall and up the large marble staircase. She lead them through doorways behind tapestries, up the moving staircases until they reached the portait of the Fat Lady.

"Password?" she asked.

" _Dirigible Plum_ ," replied Rose.

The portrait swung forward to reveal the Gryffindor common room.

"Girls dormitories are that way; boys are that way," said Rose, pointing. Some thanked her, but most were too tired, and just went where she pointed, yawning sleepily. Once they had all made it up their staircases, Rose headed to bed as well. She said goodnight to Albus and then climbed the spiral staircase to her dorm. Scanning the room, she realized she was the first one there. _Perfect_ , she thought. _No awkward conversations_. Rose pulled on her pajamas and promptly fell back in her warm, four-poster bed. Drawing the curtains closed, her last thought was _Teddy Lupin_? before falling asleep.

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 **Author's note: First day done! I hoped you like the staff; I had to invent a new Headmaster and some of the staff retired obviously but I thought it would be cool if a few of the characters came back to work at Hogwarts. Just so you know, Teddy Lupin is about 24 here, which gave him ample time to go get some teaching certifications. I thought it would be cute if he were to follow in his fathers footsteps.**

 **:)**


	3. Double Encounters

Rose met Albus in the common room the next day before breakfast. She always liked to get up a bit earlier than him to watch the sunrise. She watched entranced as the sun slowly rose over the distant mountains, creating a stunning silhouette. By the time it fully rose, Albus stumbled down the staircase, his black hair messier than ever.

"Morning," he yawned.

"Morning," replied Rose. "Shall we go down?"

"Let's," said Albus. He yawned again and stretched, accidentally hitting his arm off the brick wall.

"Bloody hell," he said, looking much more awake. Rose allowed herself a sympathetic smile before leading the way through the portrait hole. When they arrived at the Great Hall almost nobody was there. Compared to the rest of the school, Rose was an early riser. Neither of them said much as they ate their bacon and eggs. Slowly the Great Hall filled up until the sound of excited chatter was all that could be heard. Just as Rose was polishing off her fourth piece of bacon, James burst into the Great Hall looking rather pleased with himself.

"Lovely morning, don't you think?" he said, as he slid onto the bench beside Rose, looking too chipper for the first day of classes. "Anyway, Albus I just want to talk to you about trials this year; after all, I have to make the team."

He said the last words rather loudly and looked around, obviously hoping someone would notice. When nobody acknowledged him he turned back around, disappointed.

"So I was thinking of holding trials this weekend. The earlier we start, the more practice we can get in before our first game. I'll definitely need you to be keeper again, so make sure you show up to trials to test out the newbies. I better be off; I need to go find Fred and tell him about trials too."

James grabbed some bacon and walked out, eager to fulfill his role as captain.

"Hopefully this year's team is better than last year," said Albus. "I really want to beat Slytherin. Remember the finals last year? We were up by a hundred and forty points, but then Malfoy beat James to the Snitch by inches. James didn't come out of bed for the rest of the weekend."

"The common room was so peaceful without him," sighed Rose. "What's the big deal anyway? You still came second."

Albus looked horrified.

"Big deal? Quidditch is a _huge_ deal! You don't understand because you've never played," said Albus, looking both stubborn and hurt.

"That's because I don't see the point! Flying around trying to throw balls through hoops seems to me the biggest waste of time."

Albus was about to argue back when Lily sat down.

"Don't bother with her Al. She's hopeless," said Lily, helping herself to some toast. "We could never get you to play with us over the summer. I think if you just get on a broom you'll realize it's the best thing ever."

"I highly doubt that," said Rose haughtily.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"Maybe it's just genetics. James, Al, and I all got Mum and Dad's Quidditch skills while you were stuck with Aunt Hermione's."

"Hmpf. I seem to recall my Dad played Quidditch too," Rose pointed out.

Lily hesitated.

"Well... okay never mind. Oh look here comes Professor Macmillan with the timetables," she said, eager to change to subject.

"Good morning everyone. I trust you all slept well?" he asked, not waiting for an answer. "Now then, Miss Potter. Here is your timetable."

He tapped a blank timetable, filling it with the contents of Lily's schedule.

"Thanks Professor," said Lily as she took her timetable. She turned to Rose and Albus. "I better go grab my bag. See you later."

"Miss Weasley next. I see you passed all your O.W.L.'s with "Outstanding". Excellent; you can continue with all your classes."

Professor Macmillan tapped another blank timetable. It now showed Rose's timetable. He was about to hand it to her when he did a double take.

"Hold on a minute. You have the exact same classes as your Mother. I knew her in Hogwarts you know; we were both part of Dumbledore's Army."

His chest swelled with pride. Rose tried her best not to roll her eyes. Every year, Professor Macmillan reminded her that he knew her Mum in school. Nowadays, everyone tried to claim they were friends with the Wizarding World's most famous war heroes.

"Thank you Professor," Rose said, ignoring his last statement. She looked down at her classes. Potions was first period, followed by a free period, Ancient Runes, lunch, Herbology and Charms. Looking down the week, she realized she didn't have Defense until Wednesday. Which meant she wouldn't be able to talk to Teddy until class on Wednesday. Having recieved his timetable as well, Albus leaned over to compare them.

"Alright, Potions first, then I have Care of Magical Creatures, but we have Herbology and Charms together too."

"Nice," replied Rose. Out of all the Weasleys and Potters, Albus was the only one to continue with Care of Magical Creatures. He had told her last year that he wanted to work with dragons like their Uncle Charlie. "We should probably go then. I don't want to be late."

Together they left the Great Hall and trudged down to the dungeons. When they arrived at the door, only eight other people were there. According to Albus, the Potions O.W.L. was extremely difficult, although Rose had completed it easily. Half the students lined up were Ravenclaws, two were Hufflepuffs, another a Slytherin, and the other person there was Ella MacDonald, one of Rose's dorm mates. As soon as she saw Rose she squealed and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Rose! How was your summer? I haven't seen you since last year! What classes do you have? How many O.W.L.'s did you get?"

Trying not to be rude, Rose extracted herself from Ella's tight grip.

"I had a lovely summer, thanks," she said, trying to recall all the questions Ella asked her. She was a nice enough person, but Rose found her intense enthusiasm for everything extremely annoying sometimes.

Before Rose could answer any more questions, the dungeon door opened. Everyone filed inside and took seats at the tables that were set up. The four Ravenclaws sat together, the two Hufflepuffs at another table and the lone Slytherin by himself. Rose, Albus and Ella took the last table. Slughorn clapped his hands together, beaming.

"Is this everyone? Well then–" his next words were interrupted as the dungeon door flew open again, giving way to the tall figure of Scorpius Malfoy.

"Sorry Professor," was all he said, as he took a seat beside the other Slytherin.

"Quite alright m'boy," replied Slughorn good-naturedly. "Now then, where was I? Oh yes. As I was saying, welcome to N.E.W.T. level Potions. I must congratulate you all on passing your O.W.L.; the examiner, whom is a dear friend of mine, told me it was quite arduous. As is custom with my sixth-year class, I like to start off by showing you some potions you should be able to complete after finishing your N.E.W.T."

With a wave of his wand, four bubbling cauldrons appeared at the front of the room.

"Now then, can anyone tell me what these are?"

Rose's hand shot into the air before anyone else could lift a finger. Slughorn pointed to her.

"Yes Miss Weasley?"

"Well, sir, the one on the right is Polyjuice Potion, which allows the drinker to take on the appearance of another for an hour, provided they add a bit of whoever they want to turn into."

"Correct. Take five points for Gryffindor, Quite like your mother you are; always the first one to volunteer an answer during her time at Hogwarts. I do recall she knew the identity of all these potions when I taught this exact lesson way back when. Care to have a go at the others?"

"Of course sir," said Rose, beaming. "The one beside the Polyjuice Potion is Veritaserum, which forces the drinker to tell the truth. The one beside it is Felix Felicis. It makes you lucky. And the one on the left is... uh," Rose hesitated. She had never seen the last potion. Steam was rising from the cauldron in spirals, and the top of the potion looked pearly.

"I take it you've never seen this one before?" asked Slughorn. Rose shook her head, blushing bright red. "Quite alright. Take another ten points for your other answers. Can anyone else tell me what the last potion is?

Malfoy raised his hand.

"It's Amortentia, sir," he said simply.

"Quite right, take five points for Slytherin," said Slughorn. "Amortentia is the strongest love potion in the world. Of course, it only creates an imitation of love. Real love is impossible to create artificially. Now!" he said, clapping his hands together once more. "Let's get down to business. Open your books to page four. As you can see, we are going to start easy and work out way up to the more difficult potions. Today I thought we'd start with a Hiccoughing Solution, which is pretty straight forward. The procedure and ingredients are shown in your books. I expect a flask on my desk at the end of the period for marking. Now hop to it!"

Rose got out her book and flipped to page four. Eyeing the recipe, she realized this was much more complicated than anything she'd done in previous years. However, she was still certain she would be able to create a decent attempt. As she walked to the store cupboard she passed the Slytherin table. Malfoy looked up as she passed.

"Losing your touch, eh Weasley?" he taunted. "I expect I'll be top of the class this year if things keep going the way they are now."

Embarrassed, Rose ignored him and hurried to the store cupboard to get her ingredients. She grabbed what she needed as quickly as she could and walked back to her desk, being extra careful to avoid Malfoy's gaze.

 _You prat, Malfoy_ , she thought to herself. Ever since their first year, Rose and Scorpius were always battling for top of the class. Rose had beaten him every year except third year, when someone decided to turn her perfect study notes into a giant rose bush. She still remembered frantically copying herbology notes from Albus at midnight, the night before her first exam. As the years passed the animosity between them grew. _Arrogant. Smug. Rude._ thought Rose angrily. She got herself so worked up that she forgot what she was going and almost tipped her cauldron over. Thankfully, Malfoy was too preoccupied with his potion to notice.

The rest of the period passed without incident, and by the time the bell rang, Rose had a decent Calming Draught on Slughorn's desk. As they left the dungeon, Rose said goodbye to Albus and Ella, who were both off to Care of Magical Creatures, and headed back to the common room. It was virtually empty except for a few seventh-years, so she took a seat by the fire. Gazing into the flames, Rose could feel her eyelids drooping. For the next hour or so she dozed fitfully, only waking when one of the seventh-years screeched loudly. Turning around, Rose saw that one of her friends had turned her textbook into a snake. _Typical_ , she thought.

Rose was about to reprimand them for being too loud when she realized she was late for Ancient Runes. Grabbing her bag, she leaped out of the portrait hole and dashed down corridors, through hidden passageways and up staircases. She was just turning a corner when _WHAM_. Rose saw a flash of blond and then she was on the floor. Her bag fell to the ground; quills, parchment and books tumbling out of it.

"Sorry!" she called as she scrambled to her feet, not bothering to see who it was. Turning the corner, she made it to the entrance of the Runes classroom before realizing that she had left her bag on the ground when she fell. Running back, she saw that the contents of her bag had been picked up and meticulously placed back inside. By the time she made it to class, she was out of breath. Fortunately, the bell rang just as she took a seat near the front.

* * *

At the end of class, Rose was in a thoroughly bad mood. Her knee hurt from when she crashed, and they had just received a 16-inch essay due next Monday. Her mood did not improve when she walked into the Great Hall and saw that Ella was sitting beside Albus. The cloudless blue sky seemed to be mocking her.

"Hey," she said in a falsely cheery voice. No reason to ruin everyone else's day. "How was class?"

"Great," replied Albus. "We actually had an interesting lesson today."

It was common knowledge that Care of Magical Creatures was an unreliable subject. Sometimes Hagrid overstepped the boundary between safe creatures and dangerous ones, resulting in a few trips to the hospital wing over the years.

"What'd you do? asked Rose, ladling soup into a bowl.

"Well, Hagrid took us down to the Black Lake and we got to see the Giant Squid. He told us a bit about it, like how they usually live deep in the sea, but this one, because it was raised by Hagrid, can survive in the Lake. He also told us it's semi-domesticated, so we were allowed to touch it."

"Woah," replied Rose enviously. She had never been taken by Care of Magical Creatures after the countless stories told to her by her Mum and Dad.

"Yeah, and Hagrid also told us it's a mutant, which is why it can survive in fresh water," chimed in Ella.

"Oh," said Rose, trying not to show her disdain toward Ella.

For the rest of lunch Rose sat sulking while Albus and Ella chattered away. Unlike her, Albus found Ella's animated manner endearing. Although, he was much more open-minded than Rose, and made friends much quicker than her, due to the fact he was able to easily look past flaws and give second chances.

Bored, Rose looked up at the staff table and saw Teddy talking to Professor Longbottom. He seemed to fit in quite well, despite the age difference and his signature turquoise hair. Like Tonks he was a Metamorphmagus, but unlike his mother he rarely changed his appearance. Teddy noticed her gaze and gave her a warm smile. Rose felt her cheeks grow warm and she looked away, feeling foolish. It would not do to gawk at her teacher in class on Wednesday.

"Rose, are you alright?" asked Albus worriedly. "Your face is all red."

"Hm? Oh yes I'm perfectly fine," lied Rose, blushing harder. "Oh, we better head to class or we'll be late."

Together they got up, said farewell to Ella and headed toward the doors. Rose spared one last glance at the staff table before following Albus out of the Great Hall. They made their way outside to the greenhouses and entered Greenhouse Five, the greenhouse reserved for N.E.W.T. students.

"Good afternoon everyone!" said Professor Longbottom happily. "Nice to see you all passed your O.W.L."

There were almost double the students in Herbology than there had been in Potions, due partly to the fact that Professor Longbottom was a favorite teacher among most, as a result of his countless stories featuring Harry, her Dad, and Mum, and his empathetic and understanding attitude toward student stress.

"As you can see," said Professor Longbottom, pointing to some innocent looking stumps, "We are going to be dealing with Snargaluffs. Can anyone tell me what they are?"

Rose immediately raised her hand.

"Yes Miss Weasley?" asked Longbottom, holding back a smile.

"The Snargaluff plant has the appearance of a stump when unprovoked. When it is threatened, thorn covered vines defend against the attacker. Inside the stump are green pods that contain tubers. The tubers have a variety of uses including _–_ "

At the back of the greenhouse, Daniel Nott started to snicker. Rose faltered, blushing bright red.

"Very good, ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Longbottom. If he heard Daniel, he gave no indication. "Now, I would like you to split up into groups of two or three per Snargaluff. I expect three or four pods by the end of class."

As soon as he stopped, there was a great movement as students pushed through the crowd to be by their friends. Since neither Rose or Albus had any close friends in Herbology, they stuck together. Rose was fine with that.

* * *

"Ughh look at my arm!" huffed Rose, holding her arm up for Albus to inspect. "That stump had it out for me."

"It's not that bad," he lied, eyeing the long red gashes warily. Rose snorted.

"Easy for you to say. I don't see any battle wounds on you."

Herbology had not gone well for Rose; although they succeeded in retrieving five pods from their Snargaluff, it came at great physical cost. Albus had flat out refused to put his hand in the stump, saying he needed it for Quidditch tryouts. As a result, Rose had to repeatedly plunge her hand into the stump, causing the thorny vines to solely attack her.

After class, they made their way to the hospital wing so Madam Pomfrey could heal Rose's gashes. As Rose pushed open the doors she immediately caught sight of a huge grotesque pink blob. Shocked, she stopped in her tracks, causing Albus to bump into her. As she stared, she realized the blob was a tongue. And the tongue belonged to Malfoy.

"Did you accidentally run into my Uncle's shop, Malfoy? Or do you just run your mouth so often your tongue grew to compensate?" taunted Rose, overjoyed she finally had something to hold over him. Scorpius scowled. He tried to respond but all that came out was a series of gurgles and a choking sound. Madam Pomfrey came bustling over, and with a wave of her wand, Scorpius' tongue retracted swiftly until it was regular sized again. He thanked the Matron quietly before rounding on Rose.

"For your information Weasel, your git of a cousin James Potty cornered me after Arithmancy for no reason other than to punish me for my family name, again, and of course, one of the other Weasels followed him and force fed me this blasted toffee. Quite noble and virtuous of them, don't you agree?" he asked wryly. Rose scoffed.

"And you're so innocent? I highly doubt it was an unprovoked attack."

"Oh, believe me or don't believe me, Weasel, but let your cousins know they deserve what's coming to them," he replied cryptically. With a final pointed look, he exited the hospital ward.

"Do you believe him?" Rose asked Albus.

Madam Pomfrey came over to Rose next, and with another wave of her wand the cuts on her arm healed themselves, leaving nothing but dried blood.

"Thanks, Madam Pomfrey," she said. "Well, Al? Do you?"

"Hmm?" he replied, obviously paying more attention to a small spider hanging from the tip of his wand. Rose punched him lightly to get his attention.

"Do you think Malfoy has something planned for James and Fred?" Rose said, annoyed.

"Mmm, probably not. He doesn't have the nerve." replied Albus, still distracted by the spider.

"Should we warn them? Just in case?" asked Rose worriedly.

"Nah, I reckon it's best if they find out for themselves."

"I don't know..." said Rose. She hesitated. Despite what Albus said, she thought he might just be reckless enough to pull it off. _Although_ _,_ thought Rose _, they would laugh in my face if I told them what he said_. In the end, she decided against warning her cousins. _What happens, happens._

* * *

After an uneventful Charms class, Albus and Rose walked into the Great Hall for dinner. They were immediately joined by Ella. Across the table Rose watched as James and Fred were hunched over a piece of parchment, practically black from all the ink on it. Presumably it was their latest prank for Filch. He had wasted no time giving them their first detention this year for bewitching some Screaming Yo-yos from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes to follow him around and start shrieking whenever he tried to talk. Detention on the first day of classes was a new record for them, and James was boasting in the common room after lunch that he was going to get Filch back big time.

Glancing across the Hall, Rose was surprised to see Scorpius staring intently at James and Fred. Noticing her gaze he winked at her before returning his attention to her cousins. Rose rolled her eyes and turned back around, attempting to find whatever Ella was chattering about of the utmost interest.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Sorry this took a bit longer than expected, I just finished exams and started my summer job so I haven't had time to write as much as I wanted to. Hope you liked this chapter; I know not much has happened yet but I have big things planned for the next chapters!**

 **:)**


	4. Red Waves

**Author's Note: 100% so sorry I haven't updated recently at all; I started my summer job and things have been a bit hectic, so I really haven't had time to write as much as I wanted. This was supposed to be a longer chapter but I decided to spread it out over two chapters instead, just so I can say I updated. Unfortunately it is a bit of a teaser chapter so apologies if you find it short. The next chapter will be longer and better!**

* * *

Tuesday passed excruciatingly slowly for Rose in her eagerness for Wednesday to arrive. After a day of classes that seemed to last a lifetime, she went to bed extra early in an attempt to make the time pass faster. However, Rose ended up lying in bed for hours before she could fall asleep. Her roommates even fell asleep before her. When Wednesday finally dawned, however, she woke even earlier than usual. She quietly got out of bed and crept to the bathroom so as not to disturb anyone. The moment the door was closed she set to work. Before Rose had left for Hogwarts she had nabbed her mother's supply of _Sleekeasy's Hair Potion_ in case an opportunity like this arose. For the next hour or so, she worked on her hair, taming the bushiness and smoothing it down until it was manageable. By the end, Rose's hair was no longer a red lion's mane; instead, the curls had been reduced to loose, gentle waves. Pleased with the results, she tiptoed back to her dormitory. After she got dressed and deemed herself acceptable, Rose went down the spiral staircase into the darkened and deserted common room. Outside the castle the sky was still sprinkled with stars and only in the far distance could Rose see the breaking of dawn over the misty mountains. Albus wouldn't be down for another half hour but Rose was too excited to care. Today was her first Defense Against the Dark Arts with Teddy, and she needed to be perfect. While waiting for Albus, Rose reread the book _Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against The Dark Arts_ she had borrowed from Uncle Harry a few years ago, even though she knew all the spells by heart. _Progeto. Expelliarmus. Impedimenta. Expecto Patronum._ Rose went over them one by one in her head. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she realized Albus should be up by now. Just as Rose made up her mind to go up to his dormitory to force him to get up, somebody came down the staircase. It was Carter Thomas.

"Morning," he said when he saw Rose.

"Good morning Carter. Is Al up yet?" she asked.

"Yeah, when I left he was getting dressed," Carter replied. He was about to leave when he glanced at Rose and did a double take.

"Woah," he said looking at her, his eyes going wide. "Rose you look– I mean your hair– I– just– wow."

Rose blushed.

"Thanks Carter. I'm just trying something new today."

"Well, you look really– I mean you always look– good," he finished lamely. "I uh, see you later."

Blushing madly, Carter left the common room as fast as he could, nearly tripping through the portrait hole. Rose smiled to herself. Carter's reaction was as good as she could have hoped for. Albus came down a few minutes later, and while she saw him looking at her hair he didn't say anything other than "nice hair."

Together they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. Rose received many more compliments on her hair, including a screech and a hug from Ella, which Rose tried to extract herself from to no avail.

"Oh Rose, your hair looks so good!" Ella cried loudly into her hear. Rose winced at the proximity of the noise.

"I– thanks Ella," said Rose, when Ella finally let her go. Rose looked around for Albus, who had managed to sit down undetected, and took a seat beside him. While she was ladling porridge, Lily slid onto the bench across from her.

"So," she said, taking in Rose's appearance, "Who are you trying to impress?"

Rose almost choked on her porridge.

"Nobody," she coughed, her red face giving her away entirely.

"Liar," said Lily bluntly. "I know you better than you know yourself. Who is it then? Is he in your year?"

"I'm not trying to impress anyone," said Rose stubbornly. "I just thought I'd try something new today."

"You're not fooling anyone, Rose Weasley," Lily replied coolly. Just then, Roxanne waved to her from the other end of the table, and with one last suspicious glance at Rose, Lily got up and joined her cousin.

"You know she'll find out eventually," remarked Albus, who had been quiet during the confrontation.

"Hopefully not," said Rose, not bothering to lie. Albus was, after all, the only person she could trust to confide in such manners.

"I don't suppose you'll tell me who it is then?" he asked.

"No, Al," said Rose. Albus nodded in acceptance and changed the subject to Quidditch.


	5. What Did You Expect?

**Author's Note: I'm sorry I'm such an awful person and I never update this story; I actually had this all written for like, a month but I wanted to make it longer so I never posted it. Anyway, yeah school has been hectic so writing has really taken the back burner for the time being, but with Christmas fast approaching I'm sure I could get back in the swing of things! Please R &R if you like it!**

For the rest of breakfast Albus didn't push the issue and Rose was grateful. By the time breakfast was over, Rose's last nerve was fried. _Be brilliant_ , she told herself. _Be brilliant_.

Albus glanced at his watch.

"We should probably leave now," he said. Rose swallowed.

"Alright," she replied, trying not to display her inner turmoil publicly. Together they left the great hall and made their way to the DADA in a deep breath, Rose kept her head down and pushed open the door. There were only a handful of students in the classroom already, most of them situated at the back, as per normal. Rose risked a glance up from the floor and almost collapsed in relief when she realized Teddy was not in the room yet. On shaky legs she walked to the front of the classroom and took a seat beside Owen Finnegan, who already had his textbook and wand out. Rose quickly copied him, not wanting to seem under prepared.

"How're you Rose?" asked Owen. "I never got a chance to talk to you on the train. Did you have a good summer?"

"It was pretty good," said Rose, thankful for the small talk to distract her from the horrible whirling feeling in her stomach. Although she had never been very good at small talk. "Never a quiet moment with this one around," she said, nodding her head at Albus, who had just sat down beside her. Owen laughed.

"I can imagine. We went to Australia over the summer to visit my Uncle. He raises unicorns," replied Owen brightly. "I could show you some pictures sometime, if you like. Over a butterbeer?"

"Sure!" said Rose, trying not look too surprised. She had never really talked much with Owen, so it was a tad bit strange that he was asking her to hang out.

At that moment the door opened and Teddy walked in, looking nervous and slightly frazzled, but professional nonetheless. Rose forgot all about Owen Finnegan.

"Good morning everyone!" said Teddy happily. "I know it's early so I'll try not to put you to sleep again so soon. I have a fairly intensive class prepared, so if you'll just bare with me until I finish roll call, we can hop straight to it."

He opened his worn out case and pulled out a scroll of parchment.

"Carney, Caroline."

"Here!"

"Finnegan, Owen."

"Present!"

Rose stared at his mouth as he continued to call out names, becoming more confident as the list went on. She was so preoccupied that she almost didn't notice the small folded piece of paper appear in front of her. Surprised, Rose opened it. There was a small illustration of a red rose blooming and then closing again, repeating over and over again. Underneath it was a caption that read:

 _You look very nice today._

Rose snuck a glance to her left. Owen was smiling at her. Blushing, Rose smiled back and quickly turned her attention back to Teddy. She knew now why Owen was being extra friendly with her.

"Weasley, Rose."

"..."

"Rose?"

"Hmm? Oh! Here!" Rose practically shouted. She had been lost in thought and was taken completely off guard. A few classmate tittered in the back, and Rose blushed even harder, more embarrassed by the fact that Teddy had observed everything than because she wasn't paying attention.

"Sorry, Te– Professor," said Rose sheepishly.

"It is quite alright Rose. I realize it is early and some of our brains are still back on our pillows."

Teddy put the parchment down and clapped his hands.

"Now then. Today I realize is your first N.E.W.T. level Defense Against the Dark Arts Class, so I won't even attempt to teach you about the more, intricate parts of Defence, because we all know you won't remember any of it until the night before the exam."

There were a few appreciative laughs at that.

"Instead, today I thought we would start with a skill that will be useful not only in a potentially life threatening situation, but it also applicable to every other branch of magic."

Teddy paused for dramatic effect.

"Non-verbal spells."

With those words, Teddy had the absolute attention of every student.

"Now, can anyone tell me what the potential benefits are of using non-verbal magic?"

Rose and Owen shot their hand into the air simultaneously.

"Errrr let's see... Rose. What do you think?"

"Well, by performing a non-verbal spell, you have a millisecond advantage over your enemy, because they have no idea what spell you are about to perform," said Rose, trying to hide her glee that Teddy chose her over Owen.

"Well said Rose, take five points for Gryffindor. I would like you to split into pairs and practice jinxing and repelling a jinx without speaking. Just for a refresher, what is the spell for a shield charm?"

Again, Rose and Owen were the first to raise their hands. Teddy pointed at Owen.

" _Protego_ , sir."

"Excellent Owen, five points to Ravenclaw. Now, non-verbal spells take a great deal of concentration, so just focus on the spell you want to cast, and say the words in your head with as much force as you can. It will take a bit of practice, but I'm sure every single one of you will learn to do it before Christmas. Let's get started."

As soon as he finished, there was a great deal of scurrying as people rushed to find partners. Rose and Albus immediately separated from the rest of the class and began practicing. Albus tried to cast a body bind curse on Rose to no avail. He was evidently thinking hard about the words, because his face was all scrunched up with the effort and it was starting to turn red.

"Al stop, you're going to faint," said Rose exasperatedly. Albus huffed and relaxed his face.

"Well you try if you think it's so easy," taunted Albus. Rose rolled her eyes.

"I never said tha–"

"Go."

"Fine."

With as much force as she could muster, Rose thought about the words _Petrificus Totalus_ and waved her wand. Nothing happened. She concentrated even harder, but to no avail. After a few more attempts Albus stopped her.

"Okay okay Rose, I think you should take a break, your face is turning a bit purp–"

Before Albus could finish his sentence his body went completely rigid and he fell down backwards. Rose looked on in surprise and shock, letting out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Well done Rose!" exclaimed Teddy, who saw Albus lying on the floor, immobile. "Twenty points for Gryffindor. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I think you should unfreeze him."

"Of course Professor," replied Rose sweetly. With a single wave of her wand Albus sprung to life, no words uttered. Once she got it the first time, it was easy to replicate.

"Alright, alright, you won that round Rose," said Albus as he stood up, rubbing his head. "But prepare for my revenge!"

He quickly pointed his wand at Rose, before she had time to react. Nothing happened. Rose laughed and lowered her wand.

"Nice try Al, but you'll have to do better than that if you want to beat m–"

At that moment Rose's legs started to dance wildly, and she almost lost her balance. Narrowing her eyes, Rose thought _R_ _ictusempra,_ and before Albus could block it he was on the floor, laughing and rolling around. He pointed his wand back at Rose but this time she was ready. With a flick of her wand she cast a silent shield charm, effectively blocking Albus' jinx. She was about to retaliate when her legs stopped moving, and Albus stopped laughing. Teddy was watching nearby, as was the rest of the class. He was positively beaming, while the rest of the class, especially Owen, looked faintly annoyed.

"Congratulations the pair of you! Awesome work!"

Teddy rounded on the rest of the class.

"I hope you were all paying attention, because that was a prime example of a non-verbal duel. Did you see how Rose was always focused on her opponent, so even though Albus used a non-verbal spell she still managed to deflect it? Very impressive, the both of you."

Teddy glanced at the clock.

"Well, time flies when you're having fun! You can all pack up now; if anyone wants extra help, or has any questions about anything, feel free to see me after class, or whenever you have time, and I'd be happy to help you. I want you all to know my door is always open."

As everyone gathered their stuff and headed for the door, Rose dropped her wand, intentionally taking a rather unnecessary amount of time to inspect it for scratches.

"Hurry up Rose," said Albus, tapping his foot lightly. "I want to get the most sleep out of our break as possible."

"You can go on ahead, Al," replied Rose, slowly putting her books back in her bag, "I'll catch up in a minute."

By the time she filled her bag and straightened, Rose and Teddy were the only ones left in the classroom. _Now or never_ , thought Rose. She mustered up all her courage and approached his desk.

"Hey Teddy!" said Rose, with more confidence than she felt, "You never told us you would be teaching this year!"

Teddy smiled and ran a hand through his bright hair.

"Well, I thought it would be a nice surprise for you kids."

Rose winced inwardly at the word "kids".

"Was it?"

"Yeah," admitted Rose. It was probably better that way, so she didn't spend the entire train ride twisting her guts.

"Good!" said Teddy happily. "Victoire thought I should just tell you all right away, so I'm glad it worked out, or I'd never hear the end of it. Speaking of which..."

As Teddy's smile grew, Rose felt a pit start to form at the bottom of her stomach.

"Yeah?" Rose said, hoping she wouldn't regret asking.

"I proposed."

Rose regretted it.

"Congratulations Teddy! That's brilliant! I'm absolutely delighted for both of you!" exclaimed Rose in a falsely cheery voice, trying to ignore the sour taste in her mouth as she said the words.

"Thanks Rose! We're sending out official invitations later, but I simply couldn't hold it in. We haven't actually told anyone yet, so you're the first to know. Oh!" he said, snapping his fingers, "I almost forgot. Victoire wants you to be a bridesmaid. Lily too. How about it?"

Rose could practically see the happiness pouring out of his eyes. She tried to match his enthusiasm.

"Of course! I'd love to! And I'm sure Lily will be over the moon."

"Great. I'll let Victoire know."

Teddy looked at the clock and frowned.

"Hmmm, you should get going Rose. I don't want to be responsible for you missing your next class."

"Right, of course, see you later Teddy!" said Rose before quickly walking out of the classroom. She didn't bother telling him she had a break now. If Teddy said bye back, Rose didn't hear it.

 _That wasn't how it was supposed to be_ , thought Rose bitterly. _He didn't even notice my hair_.

Rose continued to walk down hallway after hallway, occasionally ducking under a tapestry or through a hidden passage. She had no idea where her feet were taking her, and frankly, she didn't really care.

 _What did you expect, really? He's eight years older than you, and his girlfriend, scratch that_ fianceé _, is your bloody cousin._

As Rose walked on, her initial bitterness morphed into misery.

 _I'm just a kid to him_ , she thought sadly. _I always will be._

Rose was too preoccupied with her churning thoughts to lift her head, causing her to turn the next corner and walk into a person.

"We really must stop meeting like this Weasel. Perhaps you should purchase a pair of glasses so you don't run into, say, a hippogriff one day. Not that I'd be complaining."

"What are you talking about Malfoy?" said Rose wearily. She was not in the mood for his taunting.

"What? You don't remember? I suppose you need a remembrall as well. Anyway, I seem to recall that yesterday you nearly ended my Quidditch season early when you practically trampled me on your way to who knows where. Luckily you're so short or there might have actually been damage."

"That was you?" said Rose, ignoring the jab. She wasn't that short anyway; Malfoy might have the advantage in a fight, but at least she could still sock him in the face if she needed to.

"Who else has such great organizational abilities? Now, if you'll be so kind as to move out of my way, I have somewhere I need to be."

With that, he left Rose standing in the hall with a confusing array of emotions swirling through her. It wasn't until five steps later that Scorpius' words finally clicked. _Why in Merlin's name did he put my stuff back in my bag for me? We hate each other. Maybe it's part of a bigger prank? Or maybe he's turned over a new leaf._ Rose laughed out loud. She had too many other things on her mind to care at the moment, so she elected to forget about the issue all together.


End file.
